The MICHELIN Guide vs Tabelog
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The MICHELIN Guide
Discover and book top-rated restaurants and hotels worldwide. Plan your next trip with curated selections, create personalized lists, and access exclusive perks. Expert travel assistance is also available.
- Global restaurant and hotel listings
- Instant booking for hotels
- Create and share favorite place lists
- Exclusive hotel upgrades and amenities (Plus membership)
- Expert travel specialist assistance
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Stay in amazing places. Eat unforgettable meals. Take the MICHELIN Guide app wherever you go. The MICHELIN Guide app puts the world’s best restaurants and hotels right in your pocket — and lets you book them. It marks the first time in history that the entire global guide — every restaurant in every location — is all together, all in one place. The app also includes the new and improved MICHELIN Guide hotel selection. Now you can instantly book the world’s most unique and exciting hotels, each one chosen for their extraordinary style, service, and personality. The MICHELIN Guide app makes it easier than ever to plan your next adventure or enhance your current one. Use it to quickly find and reserve restaurants and hotels near you or in a future destination; create and share lists of all your favorite places; or trial our “Plus” membership and receive free VIP upgrades and amenities at participating hotels. Need concierge-level care? Our expert travel specialists are waiting just a click away, available to assist with any aspect of your trip. They’re real people, ready to help you go places. So get going. Find great restaurants & hotels in each MICHELIN Guide city. Book amazing hotels wherever you find yourself. Download the app today.
Tabelog
Discover and reserve tables at Japan's top local restaurants. This app offers extensive reviews, ratings, and real-time booking for diverse dining experiences across the country, making it easy to find the perfect meal whether you're a tourist or a local.
- Restaurant search and discovery
- Authentic food ratings and reviews
- Real-time table reservations
- Map-based navigation
- Save favorite places
- Multilingual menu and cashless payment info
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Find, review, and book a table at Japan’s best local restaurants, before you go or while you travel. Tabelog is Japan’s leading restaurant search, food review, and table reservation app, trusted by locals and travelers alike. With over 800,000 restaurants nationwide and more than 82 million authentic food ratings and reviews, it’s the easiest way to discover where to eat in Japan with confidence. Whether you’re planning a trip, on a solo travel adventure, or simply looking for cheap food at a dinner spot nearby, Tabelog helps you find the right restaurant for every moment. From sushi, yakiniku, ramen, and izakaya to cafes, desserts, and international dining, explore options loved by locals across Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and beyond. Use Tabelog as your travel guide and food planner to search restaurants near you or anywhere in Japan. Check the menu, detailed food reviews, photos, and food tips from real diners, compare food ratings, and book a table instantly when seats are available. Planning to visit Japan from the US? Tabelog makes dining simple for American travelers with these top features: ・Search popular lunch or dinner spots near your location, or anywhere in the country ・Discover neighborhood ramen, restaurants and cafes loved by locals. ・Book a table or make a table reservation with real-time availability ・Find restaurants with multilingual menus and cashless payment options ・Save favorite places for later. and plan your trip with ease ・Restaurant recommendations for dates, family trips, solo-dining and group outings ・Check for multilingual menus and cashless payment support before your visit. SIX reasons to choose Tabelog: 1. Over 800,000 restaurants across Japan -- Not just Tokyo and Kyoto! 2. 82+ million reliable food reviews and ratings from real diners 3. 3 million registered reviewers nationwide, posting photos and reviews daily 4. Map-based restaurant finder makes navigation easy 5. Online reservations with real-time seat availability 6. Personal lists to save and plan your dining itinerary *Restaurant data as of May 2024, based on internal research. From travel meal planning to searching for cheap food nearby, Tabelog is your go-to app for dining, food discovery, local restaurant reservations, and unforgettable experiences when you go to Japan. Privacy Policy: https://tabelog.com/en/help/privacypolicy Terms of Use: https://tabelog.com/en/help/rules https://tabelog.com/en/help/reservation_rules [Recommended Operating Environment] We recommend using the Tabelog app under the following operating environment. The app may not function properly or may not be installable on versions outside the recommended environment. Please update to the recommended OS version for the best experience. Recommended OS: iOS 18.0 or later *For any issues related to app operation or installation via the App Store, please contact Apple Inc. directly. *iPhone and App Store are trademarks or registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and other countries.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Tabelog at free against The MICHELIN Guide's free with in-app purchases. Tabelog also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). The MICHELIN Guide's advantage is review sentiment (41% vs 29%) and ratings volume (7.5K vs 2.4K). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for The MICHELIN Guide against 4.9 for Tabelog. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7.5K and 2.4K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 41% of The MICHELIN Guide's written reviews are positive against 29% of Tabelog's.
The MICHELIN Guide ships an update every 9 days, Tabelog every 5 days. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | The MICHELIN Guide | Tabelog |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (7.5K ratings) | 4.9 (2.4K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 41.3% of reviews — better | 29.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7.5K — better | 2.4K |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #157 | #75 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 171 MB | 105 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tablet Inc | Kakaku.com, Inc. |
Customer experience
The MICHELIN Guide
Tabelog
Bugs and requests
The MICHELIN Guide
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes on launch
- Location services not working as expected
- Search functionality not returning relevant results
- Inability to save or access user-created lists
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to search by cuisine, price range, and other filters
- Map view with location-based recommendations
- User-generated reviews and photos
- Offline mode for accessing content without internet
- Landscape mode support for tablets
Tabelog
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
The MICHELIN Guide
No in-app purchases
Tabelog
No in-app purchases









